A new foil air bearing test rig for use to 700°C and 70,000rpm

A new test rig has been developed for evaluating foil air bearings at high temperatures and speeds. These bearings are self-acting hydrodynamic air bearings which have been successfully applied to a variety of turbomachinery operating up to 650 degrees C. This unique test rig is capable of measuring bearing torque during start-up, shutdown and high speed operation. Load capacity and general performance characteristics, such as durability, can be measured at temperatures to 700 degrees C and speeds to 70,000 rpm. This paper describes the new test rig and demonstrates its capabilities through the preliminary characterization of several bearings. The bearing performance data from this facility can be used to develop advanced turbomachinery incorporating high temperature oil-free air bearing technology.